Merry Christmas!

God bless all ya' all. Merry Christmas. Peace.

Christmas Eve Running

17 miles today - 12 and 5 mile runs. I may have gotten frost-bitten on my 12 miler this  morning. Stupidity ruled the day and it shined in my run. I went out into a 5 degree day (-10 windchill) with nothing more than a running cap, tights and a light wind-breaker. Needless to say, I have never been more miserable on the run. The last 4 miles I began cussing and screaming in pain as my ears, cheeks, lips, fingers and legs entered the first stages of complete freeze. My ears are still in pain, my fingers are a bit numb still and my cheeks are not all there. Stupid. After weeks of sub-zero running and the occasional sub -30 windchill running I became desensitized to the cold. I learned my lesson today - I saw that it was above zero and thought, 'hey, warm, Fall gear time'. 

In the PM, I went on a redemption 5 miler. Pretty quick and fully clothed. -12 below windchill, but in my full-on winter running gear. No doubt, it was redemptive. I ran it fast and WARM. My ears are still struggling to feel, but my I am feeling good about a pretty strong 17 mile day. Good stuff. Best part of the day? Sitting here with my family, watching a cheesy, Hallmark, Christmas movie after a Christmas play at church. Love it. This is what Christmas is all about - being with family and celebrating the birth of Christ. Life is good. Peace and love.

Last Mileage Update for the Year...

106 miles last week in the sub-zero temps. Felt good about that. Last week marks the end of my mileage log for a bit.

Fall 2008 Running Stats

- 2195 miles

- Ave. 129 miles/week for 17 weeks

- Ave. 18 miles/day for 119 days

- 204 miles, biggest week (during a 40 hour work week)

- 50 miles, longest continuous run

- 55 miles, most miles in 24 hours (during an 8 hour work day)

- Coldest training run, -20 air temp, -35 windchill (13 miles)

I need to take a break from counting mileage, until next Spring's training cycle. Just running free and clear now - feeling really, strong and solid. This seems like a good time to focus on other things, all the while maintaining my shape and enjoying, truely enjoying my outings. I put in a 12 miler this afternoon in Albert Lea. It was cold, -9 or so and a bit windy, but it was a really rock solid run.

From now, until mid-February - when I begin my next training cycle-, I will throw periodic life and running tid-bits in occasional on this blog. So stay tuned. Thanks for hanging.

Character Building

I have been doing a lot of character building runs lately.

Yesterday, I did a 10 mile steady run at 5 in the morn... needless to say, it was cold, very cold. -20 or so air temp with a decent wind. I returned back to my place with my eyes nearly frozen shut. In the PM, I did a 7 mile hill work out with a -20 windchill. I flew on the very steep, returning downhill at about 5:30 pace or better. Goggles were necessary.

Today, it was a 10 or 11 miler out and back. The out consists of slight to moderate hills and of course the the back is a downhill cruiser. On the out today, there was a steady 15-20 mph headwind, putting the windchill at -20 or so. Goggles were essential. The uphill against the wind wasn't nearly as trying as it has been in the past, a testament to both my physical and mental shape. The downhill was awesome, very awesome. I lifted my goggles and dropped my face mask and rode the wind for the 5 miles back. Took it at 6-6:30 pace. It was really comfortable and cleaaaaaaaaaaaaan.

Getting out, in less than ideal weather conditions, has been very good for my mental game lately...reminding myself that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and commit. Also, I obviously haven't been able to run full-on work outs given the snow, ice, wind and cold, which has made for much more relaxed outings - just getting out there, enjoying the movement has been the story lately. Good stuff. Deeeeeeeep breath.

Feeling Blue

Here I sit, in the LEAP room, cold and blue. Physically, I am cold. Emotionally, I am blue. I don't know why. Sometimes, I guess I just feel so isolated, uncertain and neurotically hopeless that I cannot move. A stuck sort of feeling, ya know. I wish I could put more words to it. It is frustrating, because I find myself here almost everyday - in this state, cold and blue and worried too. Hmmm. Shoot... Anyways, that is all. Hope everyone is finding joy. Peace.

Frosted Over

Put in a cool 10 miler this morning. It was warmer this morning, -14 or so. It felt colder. There was a bit of a wind. Probably on the order or -20 to -25 wind chill. I was bold and went goggleless this morning. The result? Frosted eyes, forehead and outer mouth. The problem is, the moisture and heat from my breath is directed upwards by my face mask and freezes instantly on my face. This actually provides a certain level of insulation, believe it or not - from the extreme cold, at least. The thermal concept behind it is similar to the insulation of snow cave - at least that is my theory. By the end of my run my eye-lashes were solid ice blocks and the exposed portions of my face, although few, were frosted solid. Regardless, it was a really quick and clean run (considering).

ELF

Great movie. 'Elf' will be our feature film at LEAP today. I am not sure if the choice of movie is more for me or for the kids. Surely, they will enjoy it equally, if not more, but my despotic rule of LEAP laid the selection squarely on my shoulders - bypassing the regular democratic process of majority of kids rule. At any rate, they will love it. They must! For it is my favorite film and thus thou shall be theirs too. Blitzkrieg! Achtung!